The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced on Friday that Wasim Khan, the former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief executive, had been appointed its general manager of cricket.

According to the ICC, Khan — who has also served as the chief executive of the Leicestershire County Cricket Club and Chance to Shine — will take up his post next month.

He will take over from Geoff Allardice who spent eight years in the role before being appointed as the ICC CEO, the ICC said.

"I am delighted to welcome Khan to the ICC. He brings an in-depth knowledge of our sport and its stakeholders, and his firsthand experience of the international cricket landscape will be of enormous benefit as we implement the ICC global growth strategy and move forward into a new events cycle," the press release quoted the outgoing general manager of cricket as saying.

Meanwhile, Khan said that he was "honoured" to be joining the ICC. "I can’t wait to get started and work in partnership with our members to strengthen and grow our sport," he said.

"I’m particularly excited by the ICC’s commitment to the growth of the women’s game, and I look forward to playing my part in really accelerating that growth over the next decade," he added.

Khan had joined the PCB on a three-year contract on Feb 1, 2019 but had stepped down as the board's chief executive in September last year, four months before the end of his contract.

Khan is an MBA from Warwick Business School and is also a former professional cricketer. He played county cricket in England from 1995 to 2001, during which he represented Warwickshire, Sussex and Derbyshire.

He also played in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. In a 58-match first-class career, Wasim scored 2,835 runs with five centuries and 17 half-centuries, with the highest score of 181.